A JAV star was forced to cancel three of her record-breaking “Eras” tour concerts in Vienna in the summer of 2024 after officials warned of a planned conspiracy by the “Islamic State” (IS) group.
The Austrian citizen Beran A., accused of planning the attack and founding an IS cell, was found guilty by the jury on all charges, and the judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison.
Listening to the verdict, Beran A. looked around the courtroom several times, sniffled loudly, and his leg and hands trembled.
Last month, Beran A. stood trial for terrorist offenses and other charges in Wiener Neustadt, near Vienna.
The defendant, who was arrested a day before the canceled concert and has been imprisoned since, pleaded guilty to all charges except conspiracy to commit murder.
Bomb-making instructions
Beran A. faced a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Another 21-year-old, Arda K., who was tried alongside Beran A., was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
The verdicts can still be appealed.
In their closing statements, both defendants apologized.
“I just want to say that I am sorry,” Beran A. told the court.
In his testimony last month, Beran A. said he was convinced that he “had to carry out jihad,” but “was afraid to die.”
He told the court that he chose the packed Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna during a T. Swift concert as the target.
He detailed how he received instructions and tried, unsuccessfully, to make a bomb. He also sought advice on which weapons to choose in several chat groups and from a high-ranking IS member.
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“Send a clear signal”
According to prosecutors, Beran A. and Arda K., along with a third Austrian, Hasan E., were accused of founding a “very dangerous IS terrorist cell” that planned to carry out several attacks, mostly abroad, in the name of IS.
Hasan E. is currently imprisoned in Saudi Arabia, accused of stabbing a security officer and injuring four others in Mecca in 2024.
Defense attorney Anna Mair urged the jury to acquit Beran of the charge of inciting Hasan to commit the stabbing, arguing there was no evidence for it.
“Beran is not a leader, he is not an ideological mastermind,” she said.
The prosecutors told the jury that they have “the opportunity to send a clear signal” that those committing crimes will be held accountable on all charges, adding that Beran A. encouraged Hasan E. through “intense contact” and other means.
According to prosecutors, Beran A. is accused of being a member of a terrorist organization since 2023.
By sharing IS propaganda, he participated and “openly identified” with IS, they said.
The conspiracy against the T. Swift concert was foiled with the help of US intelligence.
Later, T. Swift wrote on social media that “the reason for the cancellations filled me with new fear and a huge sense of guilt, as so many people had planned to attend those shows.”
Last year, a Berlin court convicted a Syrian who helped plot an attack at a T. Swift concert.
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The 16-year-old was sentenced to one and a half years probation.
